572 Ottawa Ave

St. Paul, MN 55107

$470,250B-

6 bd · 2.0 ba · 2,112 sqft · Built 1911 · MultiFamily · Active · 38 DOM

Cashflow @ list (25.0% down · 7.5%)

• Estimated rent: $5,950/mo
• Mortgage (P&I): −$2,466
• Tax + insurance: −$692
• HOA: −$0
• Vac / Maint / Mgmt: −$1,250
• Net cashflow: $1,542/mo
• Annual: $18,506/yr
• Cap rate: 10.23%
• Cash-on-cash: 14.06%
• DSCR: 1.63
• 1% rule: 1.27%
• Cash to close: $131,670

Investor read

• This is a 2 × 4-bed/1.0-bath units multifamily listed at $470k.
• At list price, monthly cash flow is $2k ($19k/yr) — positive. Per door: $771/mo.
• The deal already cash-flows at list — no discount required.
• Meets the 1% rule at list price ($6k rent vs $470k).
• It's been on market 38 days — a 3% lower offer ($456k) is reasonable based on typical stale-listing flexibility.
• Recommended offer: $456k (3.0% below list) — sets the bar for market timing.
• Local home prices are declining (-3.0%/yr); year-one equity from $3k of loan paydown is wiped out by about $14k of value loss. Plan a longer hold.
• Location reads: area grade B — affects rentability + tenant quality, not the cash-flow math above.
• St. Paul Public School District (urban): math 21% / reading 33% proficiency, ranked #270 of 301 in MN (top 90%) — low school quality limits family demand, transient renter base, plan for 1-2y turnover; 64% free/reduced lunch — lower-income household profile, screen leases tightly.
• Zoned schools: Cherokee Heights Elementary School (math 5% / reading 15%, grade F, #813 of 857 statewide, top 97%, 225 students, 83% FRL) — zoned schools average 83% FRL vs 64% district-wide (19 pts higher); higher-poverty schools than district average — tighter screening recommended.
• Zoned-school proficiency averages 10% at this address vs 27% district-wide (-17 pts) — the specific schools serving this property underperform the St. Paul Public School District average; the district grade overstates school quality for this exact location.
• Watch-outs: built in 1911 — expect roof / HVAC / electrical / plumbing capex.
• Market conditions: Rents rising fast (+10.8%/yr); 68 active listings in the ZIP; 1,202 units permitted in Ramsey County in 2024 (880 in 5+ unit buildings).
• Ramsey County population projected at +27% by 2050 — long-run rental-demand tailwind backs the buy-and-hold thesis.
• Current owner paid $17k; list at $470k implies a 2666% gain — meaningful room to come down on a strong offer.
• At projected returns (-3.0% appreciation + 8.0% rent growth), your $132k cash investment doubles in ~7 years — after that, you're playing with house money.
• At $5,950/mo this rent would consume 96% of the median local household income ($75k/yr) (locally 639% of renters already pay >50% of income on rent) — very limited rent-growth headroom before tenants either downsize or default.

Questions for listing agent

• It's been on market 38 days. Have you received any prior offers? Is the seller open to a 3% concession, seller financing, or rate buy-down credit?
• Can we see the unit-by-unit rent roll, current vacancy, and any below-market leases? What's the average tenancy length?
• What capital expenditures (roof, boiler, parking lot, exteriors) have been made in the last 5 years, and what's planned in the next 2?
• Built in 1911 — when were the roof, HVAC, electrical panel, plumbing, and water heater last replaced?
• Is there a deadline driving the sale (1031 exchange, divorce, estate, relocation)? That informs how much negotiation room exists.
• What's the average days-on-market for RENTAL listings here right now (not sales)? A rising rental-DOM trend means longer vacancies and softer asking-rent achievability than the comps imply.
• What's the recent tenant-quality profile in this submarket — average credit score on applications, eviction rate, late-payment / NSF rate, and stable-employment percentage? A property-management company in the area should have these aggregated.
• How much new apartment / multifamily construction is in the pipeline within 1–3 miles? Heavy new supply (>2% of stock underway) typically softens rents 12–24 months out; light construction supports rent growth.